A California doctor is trying to raise at least $20 million to open a floating abortion clinic in the Gulf of Mexico to help women in states where abortions are banned.
Obstetrician Dr. Meg Autry, a professor at the University of California San Francisco, believes that having the clinic aboard a ship in federal waters will put it out of reach of state laws that restrict the procedure.
The exact location — which has not been finalized — would give access to women in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, where abortions have already been banned since Roe v. Wade was overturned last month.
It would be “a safe haven for individuals in states where their rights are severely impacted,” her fundraising site said.
The floating clinic would offer its services at a low cost, if not free, she told CBS Bay Area.
“People that care deeply about access to reproductive rights know that we have to be innovative and creative in order for patients to be able to continue to have access,” she said.
“We know internationally that when access is limited or abortion is illegal, patients die,” said Autry, who told NBC Bay Area that being “a lifelong career abortion advocate” and provider was her “life’s work.”
The project is currently only in the fundraising stage, through the non-profit, “PRROWESS” — short for “Protecting Reproductive Rights Of Women Endangered by State Statutes.”
Autry conceded that it would likely cost more than $20 million and would take at least a year to get ready.
“The challenges are countless,” she told the local CBS outlet, listing off operational and legal hurdles.
Her team is still trying to work out many of the details, including where the boat will launch and how women would get to the ship.
“We have to create options and be thoughtful and creative to help people in restrictive states get the health care they deserve,” she said.
The proposal comes as abortion access in the south has been swiftly curtailed after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, giving the issue of abortion back to the states.
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas have had abortion bans take effect. A Florida law, which is in effect after a legal back-and-forth, prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save a life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
With Post wires